Less than Happy Landings

Private Jet Operators Protest Higher Landing Fees at Bali Airport

Charter aircraft operators are complaining bitterly about mandatory ground handling fees being imposed on visiting aircraft by a joint-veture partner of PT Angkasa Pura I who manage of Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport.

The Jakarta Post reports that chartered planes have been obliged since October 2013 to use the services of PT ExecuJet Indonesia, despite the availability of competing service companies at the airport.

PT Execujet Indonesia is a joint venture between Angkasa Pura and the Swiss ExecuJet Aviation Group.

Indonesian National Air Carrier Association (INACA) representative Denon Prawiraatmadja complained: “There are a number of firms providing the same services at Ngurah Rai. As players, we have the right to freely choose our own ground-handling partner that will help accommodate our operations.”

Angkasa Pura, in seeming violation of national anti-monopoly legislation, issued a circular in September requiring the services of their join venture be used.

The cost of using the Angkasa Pura affiliate is high. Explained Denon: “[AngkasaPura] charges every player, including those that provide pioneer flights or medical evacuation services, US$6,000 per landing, which is very expensive.”

Previously the charges were less than US$2,000.

Angkasa Pura justifies the steep increase in charges by pointing to the new private aviation terminal constructed to handle the growing number of private charter flights operating to Bali.
Angkasa Pura has promised to meet and discuss the concerns of charter flight operators.